The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockeyIce hockey, often referred to simply as hockey in Canada and the United States, is a team sport played on ice. It is a speedy and physical sport. Ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural, reliable seasonal ice cover, though with the advent of indoor artificial ice rinks it has become a year-round pastime at the amateur level in major metropolitan areas such as cities that host an NHL or other professional-league team. It is one of the four major North American ...ice hockey team based in Denver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is located immediately east of the ...Denver, Colorado, United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states, one federal district, and fourteen territories. The country is situated almost entirely in the western hemisphere: its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie in central North America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico ...United States. They are members of the Northwest DivisionThe NHL's Northwest Division was formed in 1998 as part of the Western Conference due to expansion.Northwest Division of the Western ConferenceThe Western Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL) used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference. Previously known as the Clarence Campbell Conference, it was created in 1974 when the NHL realigned its teams into two conferences and four divisions. Because the new conferences and ...Western Conference of the National Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America. It is the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the North American major professional sports leagues. The NHL is divided into two fifteen-team conferences, each of which consists of three five-team divisions. The league was founded in 1917 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with four teams, and through a series of expansions, contractions and relocations, the league is now composed of 30 teams, ...National Hockey League (NHL). The Avalanche have won the Stanley CupThe Stanley Cup is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. Commonly referred to as simply "The Cup", "The Holy Grail" or facetiously (chiefly by sportswriters) as "Lord Stanley's Mug", it is at the center of several legends and superstitions. Unlike the trophies awarded by the other three major professional sports leagues of North America, a new Stanley Cup is not made annually; ...Stanley Cup twice, in 1996 and 2001. The franchise was founded in QuebecQuebec City (French: Ville de Québec, or simply Québec) ( or ) is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the second largest city in the province, after Montreal. Quebec City's Old Town (Vieux-Québec) is the only North American fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec". It is also one of the oldest cities in North America. The city has ...Quebec and were the Quebec NordiquesThe Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced ; translated into English as "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972-1979) and the National Hockey League (1979-1995). The franchise was relocated ...Quebec Nordiques until moving to Denver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. The Denver downtown district is located immediately east of the confluence of Cherry Creek with the South Platte River, approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of the foothills ...Denver, Colorado in 1995. The Avalanche have won 8 division titles and went to the playoffs in each of their first 10 seasons in the NHL, with the streak ending in 2007. The Avalanche are the only team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup their first season after a re-location.
From the time of their move to Denver in 1995, until the end of the 1998–99 seasonThe 1998-99 NHL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Hockey League. Twenty-seven teams played 82 games each. The Dallas Stars finished first in regular season play, and won the Stanley Cup Championship over the Buffalo Sabres in a controversial fashion on a disputed overtime goal by Brett Hull. The Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy for the most goals by a player in a season made its debut this year. ...1998–99 season, the Avalanche played their home games at McNichols ArenaMcNichols Sports Arena (aka Big Mac) was an indoor arena in Denver, Colorado, USA, adjacent to Mile High Stadium. Completed in 1975 at a cost of $10 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games or 17,171 for basketball games and contained 27 luxury suites. The arena ...McNichols Arena. Since then, the Avalanche have called Pepsi CenterPepsi Center (aka The Can) is an arena located in Denver, Colorado, USA. The building is home to the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth and Colorado Crush. When not in use by one of Denver's sports teams, the building frequently serves as a concert venue. Pepsi Center is scheduled to be the main venue of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The arena is properly called "Pepsi Center," not "The Pepsi Center."http://www.pepsicenter.com/ About/Glance.aspPepsi Center home.
The Avalanche have a notable rivalry with the Detroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is one of the Original Six teams of the NHL. The Red Wings are one of the most popular sports franchises in North America, so much that Detroit is nicknamed "Hockeytown." The Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cup championships ...Detroit Red Wings, partly due to having met each other five times in seven years in the Western Conference playoffs between 1996 and 2002.
